"As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill
Descending"

(published 1601 in The Triumphs of Oriana, madrigal anthology for Elizabeth I)

by Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575-1623)

As Vesta was from Latmos Hill descending,

She spied a maiden Queen the same ascending,

Attended on by all the shepherd's swain;

To whom Diana's darlings came running down amain

First two by two, then three by three together

Leaving their Goddess all alone, hasted thither;

And mingling with the shepherds of her train,

With mirthful tunes her presence did entertain.

Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana:

Long live fair Oriana!

TEXT: Who is Vesta? Who is the Queen? Who is Diana? Who is "the Goddess"? What exactly is going on in the above text?! Why is it the subject of such a song? Where would this piece have been heard and by whom?

RHYTHM: What is the meter? the subdivision? Does the tempo remain the same throughout? Are there any noticeable rhythmic surprises (syncopation, hockets, etc.)?

HARMONY: Where are the cadences? The harmony is generally pretty modern and tonal in this madrigalis there anything that sticks out as strange to you? (Maybe not.)

Can you assess an identifiable FORMin the sense of repetition of musical materials? Or would you have to say the madrigal is unique and "through-composed"?

MORE TEXT: Please mark in your text above, all the instances you can find, of TEXT-PAINTING or MADRIGALISM (= when the music deliberately illustrates the text). Please note how MELODY, TEXTURE, HARMONY, TIMBRE, DYNAMICS/EXPRESSION (and any other parameters you can muster) are all put into the service of the extramusical illustration.